Lessons in Love: Part 3 - Home Wrecker
by vthalfmann
Summary: Fred and Go Go's relationship is hanging by a thread. The cause? A new girl in school who hides a dark secret. Go Go has the power to make her dreams come true or utterly destroy her life. Which will she choose?


Lessons in Love: Part 3

Home Wrecker

by Verlin Thomas Halfmann

_Author's note: Someone fumbled the ball when they created the Richard Mole character. An 11-year old boy who owns and presumably operates a comic box store in a full time capacity (ditching grade school?). He also relates to older women in a way that would result in multiple restraining orders and probably mandate a course of court-ordered psychotherapy for an 11 year old boy in the real world. He can steal valuable collectibles with no fear of legal repercussions and place himself in danger with no one asking any questions. In order to make the character at least semi-believable, I am bumping him to the 16-20 year old age range. His physical appearance I leave unchanged. There is nothing too controversial about a short, heavyset man with facial blemishes. In short: this is not the Richard Mole from the cartoon – this character is well constructed._

It was Sunday night, and Sunday night was girls night out. Every Sunday evening, Go Go and Karmi took some time off to get away from the boys, the team, and everything else, to just hang out.

"Trouble in paradise?" Karmi said. She could not help but pick up on the fact that Go Go's was looking more dour than usual.

"Why do you say that?" Go Go responded.

"I know you, Go Go. You and Fred are finally together. You should be happy...but you aren't. Come on, it is just the two of us...what's bothering you?"

Go Go looked at her sourly.

"It's just that Fred is still so immature. Honestly, I don't think he will ever grow up. I mean, he makes me do everything!" The way she said it, Karmi could not help but understand. "Sometimes I almost wish..."

She let the sentence dribble away.

"Wow! That didn't take long. You were mooning and stewing over him for years and you are just ready to walk away. Now I know why they say that women are fickle."

"I never really had a choice before." Go Go said, "Make no mistake, I am glad that I had the experience, and I owe it all to you. Without your advice, I never would have known how to break the ice. You really are something, Karmi."

Karmi nodded.

"So that's how I know," Go Go continued. "That you will know some way of handling this. The fact is that I have grown beyond Fred. There must be some way to let him down gently without destroying our friendship."

"Ah, I get it." Karmi said. "You could not stand breaking up with him because you really care for him and it would break his heart."

Go Go nodded.

Karmi watched the other girl sympathetically for a few moments, and then said: "There is a solution. It is the oldest trick in the book."

"There is?"

"Just get Fred interested in someone else. Let him dump you. Let him think that it was his idea."

Go Go had much too much respect for her girlfriend not to see the wheels turning behind the words.

"That would never work. Fred..." Go Go said, "...is still uncomfortable around girls. He is like a puppy dog. He would never even consider talking to another woman."

"Not even a very special woman? One so much like him that he could not help but be attracted to her?"

Go Go considered for a moment. Karmi, she had learned, was as much a genius in some ways as Hiro was with tech. Nothing happened in social world at SFIT that Karmi did not have some kind of hand in. The girl was practically a miracle worker.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Just leave it up to me, little sister. Karmi always has your back."

Despite the fact that Go Go was older, Karmi frequently called the girl her little sister.

#

"Professor Granville." Karmi said, "Can we talk?"

Grace Granville looked up from her desk with her usual stern demeanor.

"Of course, Karmi."

"I have a favor to ask."

Granville waited patiently, "All right, what is it?"

"There is this next door neighbor of mine. She just recently moved in. She graduated High School and she has no job and no friends. She lives all alone."

"Is she gifted?"

"Smart, but not gifted. The thing is...she is really, really shy. I am the only one who she has even talked to. She is very sad and lonely."

"I am afraid that there is nothing that I can do about that."

"Yes, Professor, I think that there is. You know how the board is always pestering you about our sports program? The first thing that you did when who moved in was to shut down the cheer leading squad."

"Our girls are encouraged to use their brains to get ahead!" Granville said, testily, "Not their bodies."

"That's just it, Professor, this girl is from outside – like Fred. You won't be making a spectacle of one of our students or diverting anyone from their studies. You didn't have a problem with Fred being the student mascot. This is not much different than that."

Granville looked unconvinced.

"Think about it, Professor. This girl always wanted to be a cheer leader, but she never had the courage to try. They would not have accepted her at her old school. Give it some thought...please..."

Granville had never heard Karmi beg before.

"Very well, Karmi. I will think about it."

#

"Students!" Granville entered the study area where Big Hero 6 had a tendency to congregate. "I have an announcement to make. For the first time ever, we have brought in an outsider to be the new SFIT cheer leader. Allow me to introduce Chastity."

Go Go grinned. The other three took a deep breath. Go Go noticed that Honey Lemon moved visibly closer to Wasabi and scowled.

"Hello." The new girl said, shyly.

She was of average height and had jet black hair with an odd steel blue sheen to it. It was worn mid length – not as long as Honey Lemon's but not as short as Go Go's. There was something about her, though, that made her more than just physically attractive – it was a certain something that she wore naturally like a cloak. When she entered a room, everyone had no choice but to take notice.

"Mr. Frederickson." Granville said. "As school mascot, I want you to make a special effort to help Chastity fit in. You are going to be working closely together in order to help boost school spirit."

Fred glanced almost fearfully at Go Go. She met his gaze and gave a slight affirmative nod.

"Sure, Professor." He agreed. "Anything you say."

"I will leave her with you. Show her around. Introduce her to people. Make her feel welcome."

Granville left. It was not long before it became obvious that the lovely girl was staring at Fred. He blushed and looked helplessly over at Go Go who just ignored him.

"I know you." she said, "You are Fred Frederickson."

"Yeah," Fred said, "Some people know me. Because my family is rich."

"Your family is rich?" She said in genuine surprise. "I thought you were the one that owns the actual, original underpants from the Captain Fancy movie? Every one in the comic book world knows about you."

Fred's mouth dropped open.

"You..." he said, somewhat in awe, "...like comic books? You are a fan of Captain Fancy?"

"All my life."

For once he did not look at Go Go for approval.

"Wow! You are going to fit in just fine around here. Come on, let me introduce you around."

#

Sunday night came and Go Go was troubled once again.

"Now what's wrong?" Karmi said. "I said I would take care of it. Fred will be riding that little filly before you can blink an eye. That is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I really thought so...but now I am not so sure. What if..." she said, "...what if I change my mind?"

"Don't you think it is a little bit late for that?"

"I didn't think you could do it so fast!" Go Go said. "I thought there might be time to stop you. I never really thought-"

"I aim to please." Karmi let the girl consider for a moment, then said: "Look, there is nothing wrong with puppy dogs. They are soft and warm and they give unconditional love. I am a girl and even I don't understand why some women are so attracted to bad boy types.

"Tell me, Go Go, would you really be happy with a man that was constantly crawling all over you – showering you with lies and dishonest attention that you knew he did not really mean – just so that he could get into your pants? You are the most honest person that I have ever known and I just can't see you in that kind of relationship.

"I know that Fred is your first real boyfriend, but maybe, just maybe, he is a keeper. He adores you, Go Go. So you don't like comic books. So what? So he doesn't know a thing about magneto-hydrodynamics. Those are your day jobs – they keep you busy in your career – they fill his empty days as a scion of the filthy rich. But you still have to have someone loving and dependable to come home to at night."

Karmi looked into her friend's eyes and knew that the job was not finished.

"You think that your relationship with Fred requires effort? Did you expect that it would not? They have a phrase describing effortless relationships: they are called _bad_ relationships. Unequal relationships. _Doomed_ relationships.

"If you think you have outgrown Fred, then you don't need my help. Fred discovered this radical new thing called a 'girlfriend' and he likes it more than anything else. Now he is desperate to please you. If you keep pushing him away when he tries to do so, then you won't have to worry about outgrowing him – he is going to outgrow you – and a lot sooner than you think."

Karmi could see it clearly now. Go Go was beginning to comprehend exactly what it was that she was about to throw away.

"It will be easy to tell once it is over. There will be one unmistakable sign that you have lost him."

She paused. Critical moment. She counted silently to herself: _3-2-1..._

"What?" Go Go said. "How will I know?"

"Because – having failed you emotionally – he will start trying to buy your love. He will shower you with expensive gifts; offer to take you on expensive trips; anything to convince you that he is special. Once that happens, it is game over. You might as well turn your back on him and walk away. Then you have to find a new special person in your life."

Karmi watched her friend's eyes carefully. There it was – that horrified realization that that the process was already underway. Fred was already starting down that dead end road.

"Finding another person sounds easy. Have you given any thought as to how that is going to work? I like you, Go Go, because you are so genuine and honest. You are also introverted, pessimistic, and sarcastic – sometimes to the point of being mean. Just how approachable do you think you are? What sort of person do you think is going to reach out to you the way that Fred did? You saw how hard that was for him – he is still trying to come to terms with it. You haven't really given him much of a chance to grow into a real relationship. Seriously, do you even want one?"

Go Go looked at her, eyes brimming with tears. Suddenly catching herself, she looked down.

"How...how can I fix this?"

"Don't worry, Go Go," Karmi grinned, craftily, "You should know by now that I always have a plan. What if I told you there was a way for everyone to get a happy ending. I mean a really happy ending. So happy that it will be positively gay." The way that she said it was very strange.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"As you may have noticed, Chastity is more than usually attractive."

"She is gorgeous!" Go Go said, enviously. "I am surprised that she did not try out for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Of course, she is a little top heavy for that. I'll bet her back hurts a lot."

"I don't think they are quite ready for a girl like Chastity." Karmi said, smirking mysteriously.

"Karmi? Is there something that you are not telling me."

"I can tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. I mean really promise. Girlfriend to girlfriend. This is serious."

Go Go read the concern in her face.

"You can count on me."

"I mean it...this stays just between the two of us."

"Go on." Go Go said, impatiently. Karmi was never one to be such a drama queen.

"Here it is, Go Go. Are you ready? Chastity is..." She paused dramatically, "...trans."

"Trans? Trans what? A transplant from another state? A transfer student?"

"Transgender, Go Go." Karmi said, dryly.

"WHAT?!"

For a long moment Go Go was stupefied. "A boy who had...surgery!"

"No." Karmi said. "No surgery. She still has something hiding under those short skirts of hers. I think she is very much attached to it."

"You wanted me to dump Fred on a..."

"Don't say it!" Karmi warned. "Think, Go Go, before you speak. Remember, this was your idea."

"It was just an idea! I mean, I really wasn't thinking! I mean...not _that_ kind of idea!"

"Well...now you have the perfect escape. At any time you can just out her and the whole problem will solve itself. The board will be up in arms, Granville will ban her from the school, and she will be out of your life forever."

Karmi paused to let that sink in.

"Of course, you will also devastate the girl and ruin her life." Karmi added, craftily, "She might even try to kill herself."

Go Go stared at her in horror.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Karmi said, grinning. "I told you, I always have a plan. We just need to involve one more pawn in our little game. And I promise you that you are going to _love_ this!"

#

The door to the comic book shop opened and the bell rang. The short, pudgy man behind the counter looked up at the couple who walked in. His face twisted into a sour grimace of distaste.

"Frederickson!" He sneered. He sniffed and made a point of ignoring the girl.

"Mole." Fred said, nodding. "Peace, brother, I come in peace!"

"No peace for you, Frederickson." Richard Mole said, haughtily. "You stole my girl! Everyone is talking about it."

"Mole!" Fred said, warningly. He made a quieting motion with his hands. "Buddy, you need to calm down and watch what you say."

"Or what?" Mole came around the counter and started forward.

What happened next happened almost too quickly for Fred to see.

A sweet smelling puff of air rushed by Fred, snatched Mole up, and the next thing Fred knew, there was a slam and Mole was pinned against the wall, his feet barely touching the ground.

"Listen to me, you little creep!" Go Go was nose to nose with him. "I am not your girl! I-AM-NEVER-GOING-TO-BE-YOUR-GIRL!"

Mole's eyes were wide and all the color had drained out of his face.

"Yes...ma'am." He managed to wheeze.

Go Go dropped him, then stepped back.

"Fred and I came here to ask you for a favor."

"Ask me a favor?" Mole said, haughtiness quickly returning, "You have a strange way of asking for a favor."

She looked like she was about to grab him again, and Mole cringed.

"Do not make me sorry that I am going so easy on you!" She said dangerously.

"Fred?" Mole looked over. "Do something! Get her off of me!"

Fred took one look and said: "Sorry, buddy, you are on your own. I value my life."

"Listen to me!" Go Go grabbed Mole by the chin and forced him to look at her.

"Here is what is going to happen! You need help running this place. We are going to introduce you to a girl and you should really consider hiring her. She knows a lot about comic books, and I promise you that business will improve once she is behind the counter."

"Help running this place? Sorry, I work alone."

"We are not asking you to hire her. Just meet her and give her a chance. You can do that, can't you?"

"Give her a job interview?" Mole said. "Well, I guess I could do that. But Fred will owe me! I want-"

Go Go reached out and grabbed him by the collar and once more almost lifted him off of the ground.

"What do you want?" She demanded, teeth grinding. There was practically smoke coming out of her nose.

"Nothing!" Mole said, hastily. "Nothing at all!"

"Good." Go Go set him down and brushed him off. Meet us at Fred's house tonight at 8:00 PM for dinner. Don't be late. Bring flowers and maybe a bottle of wine.

Comprehension was beginning to dawn on Mole's face.

"I get it!" Mole sneered. "A consolation prize. You want to hook me up with some horse faced geek friend of yours in the hopes that I will leave you alone."

Go Go once again glared at him. "Go on, Mole, call her that to her face – I dare you! I want you to be as nasty and arrogant as you want to. Just don't be late!"

#

Heathcliffe announced Mole's arrival promptly at 8:00 PM. Go Go and Fred met him at the door.

"Not bad, Mole." Go Go said. "I didn't know you owned a really nice suit."

"I don't. Fred sent his personal tailor by this afternoon for a fitting. It cost a fortune so I said yes."

Go Go looked over at Fred.

"It was important to you," Fred grinned, "so it was important to me. Heathcliffe has flowers." Fred began dusting the small man's labels and straightening his tie. "Also a corsage."

"I thought this was a job interview," Mole complained, "not a fancy dinner party."

"It is both," Go Go said. "We are having Sushi prepared by one of the most famous chefs in the city. She is personal friend of Honey Lemon. If you embarrass me..."

The look she gave him could have melted lead.

"All right, let's get this over with. Where is she?"

"She should be arriving any time." Fred said.

"I warn you, she had better know her comic books! I am going to grill her on the subject. Everything from Atomic Armadillo to Captain Z. She had better know it all!"

"Excuse me, sir." Heathcliffe stood in the doorway. "Your final guest has arrived."

Mole took one look and his jaw dropped.

"Mr. Mole?" she said, shyly, "My name is Chastity. My, aren't you the cutest little thing."

"Hubbah..." Mole stammered. "Hugazugah..."

"He means nice to meet you." Fred translated.

"Excuse me, sir." Heathcliffe cut in. "If I may be excused, I must attend to Ms. Frederickson."

"Your mother?" Go Go said. "Something wrong with your mother?"

"Well," Fred lifted his chin and straightened his tie. "I told her I had a double date tonight and I'm afraid she…she kind of passed out. I'm surprised you didn't hear the scream because it was really, really loud.

"Come on, Mole, old buddy." Fred clapped an arm around the stunned man's shoulders. "We can't keep the chef waiting. I, for one, am starving."

Out of the corner of his mouth, Fred whispered: "You owe me big time for this!"

#

One thing Mole had to admit, they were right. Business almost immediately improved with Chastity behind the counter. But he was worried. Try as he might, he was having a hard time being himself – meaning nasty and forward – with this girl. You weren't supposed to treat girls nicely. If you did, they lost respect for you. That was what men had always told him – and those men had to be right – because they were always bragging about their sexual conquests.

"Mr Mole?" Chastity said shyly at the end of the day. For some reason, her polite shyness made her even more adorable. "May I have a ride home?"

_What am I, a ch__auffeur__?_ Mole thought sourly to himself.

"Have your boyfriend do it. Or maybe your girlfriend. Whatever!"

Suddenly her eyes were brimming with tears.

"What?" He demanded. "What is it?"

No matter what the situation, Mole knew that he would always say the wrong thing.

"I am sorry..." she said, and the tears started to flow. "...I...I am so ashamed of myself."

She buried her face in her hands and began to cry softly.

Richard Mole was never at a loss for words. Even it was the wrong thing to do, he always opened his mouth.

He was at a loss for words.

Instead, he lost control of his body. It was as if an unseen force had taken over and driving him like an expensive car. He moved forward and opened his arms. The beautiful girl took one look, grabbed him, and began to cry.

There was a logistics problem in that Mole – being unusually short – and Chastity – being of slightly over average height for a girl – did not meet eye to eye. His face naturally landed midway between her impressive breasts and her chin tended to rest on the top of his head. Mole did not necessary think that this was a bad place to be.

He was just congratulating himself on his luck when something strange happened. Here he was clutching a beautiful woman, practically grinding his body against hers, when he felt something below her waist that was not supposed to be there.

Mole released her and stepped back in horror.

"I'm sorry...I am so sorry..." She cringed back. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I never mean to hurt people's feelings...but somehow I always do. Please don't hate me, Mr. Mole. Everyone always seems to be looking for an excuse to hate me. Please don't fire me.

"It's just that...I never had any friends growing up. I was always interested in ballet, and girls gymnastics, and cheer leading – but it was always so complicated and embarrassing – it almost never worked out. So I buried myself in comic books and escapist literature.

"I never had a boy friend. No one wants to be there for me. There was no one to please me so I had to please myself. Now I am going to lose my job and might even have to move back in with my parents. You don't know how hard that will be!"

He could not help but but be sympathetic as her face seemed to collapse in upon itself. Despite universal opinion to the contrary, Richard Mole did have a heart – he just was not used to listening to it.

"I know," Chastity continued, "you are rich and successful, and women are crawling all over you. You could not possibly understand."

The truth was, he was an abysmal failure with women and he honestly had no idea why. He was everything that they were supposed to be looking for: he had money, he was forward and manly, he was sexually aggressive. What more could women want? Sure, he was not so physically imposing, but women were not supposed to care so much about that.

He liked only women. He knew that...didn't he? He had always known that. Then why was there an erection in his pants that was threatening to tear through his underwear and blow a hole in the front of his trousers?

_This is ridiculous!_ He said to himself. _And totally unethical! Like or not, you are her employer. She could sue you into bankruptcy if you so much as touched her!_

_Ethics, hell!_ Another part of him responded. Since w_hen has treating people right ever meant anything to you! Aren't you tired of waiting for that special someone? He__re__'s your chance – you little creep – no__w__ do something about it!_

That is what Go Go had called him – a little creep. That is how most women treated him. Well, to Hell with most women! Maybe it was time to try something different.

"Chastity..." He said with surprising gentleness. "...I am going to close up the store. Then I am going to show you the Mole Hole. It is a very private room where I go to be by myself. It holds my most valuable collectibles. I would be honored if I could show you some things that you may not have seen before."

She looked up, and there was adoration in her eyes. Here was someone who finally seemed to understand.

#

Another girl's night out. This time, the tables were beginning to turn.

"Now what's wrong?" Karmi demanded in frustration. "Is there no pleasing you?"

"It's just that..." Go Go said. "...Fred is still infatuated with her. He has so much in common with her. I am afraid that I might lose him. Fred has always been a little...you know..."

She hesitated because Karmi had that knowing, predatory look on her face again.

"You are soooo lucky that Karmi has your back, little sister. I have something special to show you...wait a second...I will be right back."

She returned with a box slightly larger than a shoe box. It was decorated in pink hearts and little white doilies.

"Here, best friend of mine, take a look at this and tell me what you think."

She opened the box and Go Go took a deep breath.

"Is that a..."

"I built it myself." Karmi said, proudly. "With a little help from Honey Lemon. I call it the dump pump. This is not just your ordinary plastic toy. Authentic to the touch, heated to body temperature, physical rigidity manually controlled, it can vibrate and administer mild electric shocks. It has a small reservoir, but you can hook on an external tube to allow as much fluid as you please. Honey Lemon has synthesized this wonderful non toxic goo that you will find useful."

"_Karmi!_" Go Go said, scandalously. For once in her life, her face was bright red. "I - I don't know what to say!"

"Try thank you." Karmi said. "Strap on this baby and there is no way that Chastity can compete with you. Take it off and you are all woman. Your puppy dog will always be safe. I am thinking of adding something on the other side to please the female partner – no fair if the object of your affection has all of the fun."

Go Go had gotten over the initial shock and was beginning to think logically. You could tell that she was considering the possibilities.

"You only have to use it if you think you need to." Karmi said, "Go ahead, take it home for a test drive. I have some other equipment that I am working on as well."

After Go Go had left, Karmi scrubbed her hands together, chuckled in a way that any criminal mastermind would envy, and considered.

That, as they said, was that. When your boyfriend was part of a superhero team with two lovely young ladies, it was wise not to take any chances. Especially when – in a conventionally sense – at least in some people's opinion – they were both more physically attractive than you. It paid to keep the competition too busy to notice him.

_Oh, and one more thing. I know you are listening in...you pervert_._..so don't bother hiding it_.

There were no words, but somewhere in back of her brain she felt a small nod of approval and acquiescence.

#

Girl's night out finally had a home. They met at Mole's house – and now there were three of them.

"So..." Chastity said, shyly, "...what do you talk about at girl's night out?"

"Boys, mainly." Karmi said. "But other things as well. First order of business, I vote that we include Honey Lemon as well."

"Honey Lemon?" Go Go said. "Isn't she a little...you know...immature."

"Haven't you noticed, Go Go." Karmi looked pleased. "how little Honey Lemon is changing. I can't put my finger on it, but it is as if someone has opened her eyes to whole new world of possibilities."

#

Across town, the newly formed boys night out had a home as well. Fred, Mole, and Wasabi met at Fred's house.

"Very generous of you, Mole." Fred said. "Letting them use your house and all that."

"Well," the small man said, "none of us are old enough to drink, so the bar scene is out. Besides, I like the way the place smells when I get back."

"You like the way it smells?" Wasabi questioned.

"It smells like girls. It smells like desire. It smells like...love."

The End


End file.
